art in vienna and other stories

Lucio and Duilio Forte, the architects of imagination

Today I would like to introduce you a very talented artist and friend I got to know already some years ago: Lucio Lars Forte. This time we move to Milan, more specifically in a peripheral area where open fields give a greener feeling of the city.

Lucio is Italian with Swedish origins; he studied architecture and from there started to develop his own, unique style, mixing different techniques and materials, joining architecture with painting and comics, another great passion of him.

Together with his brother, Duilio Forte, as well an affirmed artist, he shares an old industrial plant renovated as studio atelier: Orygma, his own space, and AtelierFORTE. The latter serves as (but is not limited to) atelier and showroom; and everything about and inside this building complex is pure and mesmerizing art, thanks to the creations, sculptures and design elements from Duilio. Here is a video he made to present his atelier and works he created, truly worth to see.

I had the great possibility to visit the whole structure on different occasions, thanks to the warm and friendly environment present at every exhibition that Lucio organizes.

I ended up in this bucolic place after having read about a collective exhibition called Sottosuolo (Subsoil in English): just few but beautifully written words to introduce the overall concept of the selected works. I could see from the map that the place was reachable after a long way with the bus from the city centre; but careless I decided to go there. And finally, after many glossy and snobbish vernissages in the centre of the city, I could find an authentic one, a celebration of art with music, wine and people willing to interact with each other.

This is how the atelier may look like, in my opinion (and Lucio seems to confirm the inspiration).

Lucio Forte 2009, oil on canvas (70 x 120 cm)

When I ask him how he would like to be presented, he tells me about immortality (modest!). He defines himself as an “architect deep inside the soul”, explaining that with his art he wants to create suggestions: illusionary maybe, but what gives us the opportunity to live more lives just by using the limitless power of imagination. Then, finally, we can reach immortality.

And science fiction offers a great setting for a new idea of immortality, by mixing science – the knowledge acquired by testing and proving – with its opposite and origin at the same time –fantasy. Then, everything becomes possible.

Currently Lucio is starting a new project, Subcity Art Gallery, “a new underground reality in the local artistic scene” where small-format selected artworks can be found at an accessible market. For the ones who may have the chance, don’t miss the opening on the 20th of September!

All the artworks with description and availability can be found on Artsper.